Elite Baseball Development Podcast

Pinch Hit Friday #86: How to Evaluate Athlete Referrals

In this podcast, Eric digs into the considerations you should have when evaluating where and who athletes should be referred to. A referral to a specialist is vital to at

Pinch Hit Friday #85: Timing Up Trunk Rotation for High Performance

In this podcast, Eric digs in on why the timing of trunk rotation is so important for keeping pitchers healthy and helping them perform at a high level. Citing recent res

Pinch Hit Friday #84: A Pitch Count Study for the Ages

In this episode, Eric highlights a recent study on the sports medicine impacts of pitch count implementation in Japanese youth baseball. Thank you to today's sponso

Pinch Hit Friday #83: How Height and Weight Impact Youth Pitching Velocity and Spin Rate

In this podcast, Eric highlights the results of a recent Japanese study that examined the relationship between physical maturity and velocity and spin rate. There are som

229. Austin Henrich on The Future of Pitching Development

In this episode, Eric sits down with Cressey Sports Performance - Florida Director of Pitching Austin Henrich. They discuss findings from the CSP-FL motion capture lab wi

Pinch Hit Friday #82 - The Pillars of "Athlete Diagnosis"

In this episode, Eric talks about the Pillars of "Athlete Diagnosis." In order to best serve an athlete, sports medicine and strength and conditioning specialists need to

228. Shane Drohan on Hypermobility, Pitch Design, and Long-Term Development

In this episode Eric talks with Brewers left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan. Shane is Florida State University grad who made his major league debut in 2026. He's record

Pinch Hit Friday #81 - Joint Hypermobility, Psychosocial Stress, and Joint Loading

In this podcast, Eric discusses the physiological and biomechanical interplay among joint hypermobility, psychosocial stress, and joint loading. These considerations are

227. Sean Casey and The Mental Game of Baseball

In this episode Eric chats with MLB veteran and hitting coach Sean Casey. They speak to the mental side of the game and how hitting in the big leagues has evolved.  Visi

Pinch Hit Friday #80 - Adding Tools to the Training Toolbox

In this episode, Eric talks about how each training case is unique, and coaches and rehab professionals need to make sure they've got a variety of strategies - exerc

226. Standardization in an Era of Innovation

In this episode, Eric shares insights on how important quality control is in the rapidly evolving fields of health and human performance. Learn more about the new CSP Amp

Pinch Hit Friday #79 - 6 Tips for Aging Athletes

In this episode, Eric shares training, nutrition, and recovery insights for aging athletes who want to preserve high levels of performance. This information has merit for

225. Scott Brown on Recruiting and Developing SEC-Caliber Pitchers

In this episode, Eric welcomes long-time Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown for a far-reaching conversation on pitching development. Scott shares insights on how colle

Pinch Hit Friday #78 - The 5 Quickest Paths to Safely Increase Pitching Velocity

In this episode, Eric highlights five ways that pitchers - especially in the amateur ranks - can safely build pitching velocity in a short amount of time. With summer bal

224. Dr. Robby Sikka on Tennis Injuries, Sports Medicine Trends, and Player Advocacy

In this episode, Eric welcomes Dr. Robby Sikka, who brings a wealth of sports medicine research experience across a variety of sports. Robby shares insights about the dra

Pinch Hit Friday #77 - Can Movement Screens Predict Injuries?

In this podcast, Eric reviews some recent research on the utility of the Functional Movement Screen in predicting upper extremity injuries in baseball players. More impor

223. Slade Cecconi on Late Bloomers, Veteran Mentorship, and Self-Evaluation

In this podcast, Eric welcomes Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi, who speaks about not only his path to the big leagues, but his strategies for continuin

Pinch Hit Friday #76 - Preparing College Athletes for a Healthy, Productive Summer

In this episode, Eric talks about the sports medicine challenges facing collegiate baseball players, and highlights injury trends that don't seem to be letting up. I

222. Dr. Michael Freehill on College Injuries, Flexor Tears, and Research Breakthroughs

In this episode, Eric welcomes Dr. Michael Freehill - team doctor for the Athletics and Stanford Baseball - to the show. As a shoulder and elbow expert, avid researcher,

Pinch Hit Friday #75 - Scouting, Structure, Workload, and Continuity: Lessons Learned from the 2020 MLB Draft

In this episode, Eric discusses the unique circumstances surrounding the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft. It's been said this draft underperformed in terms of produ